December 12, 2012

Rabid Reads: "Snowblind" by Michael McBride

I have never been to the Rockies, let
alone in the winter. I do, however, recall seeing a home movie from
the 60s of my dad in his twenties, as he and his brothers hunted elk
in the foothills of the Rockies in Alberta. It was mesmerizing. So,
as McBride's novella kicks off with a closeknit foursome of friends
hunting elk in the Rockies, I was immediately on board.

The four men, each successful in their
professional lives yet unfulfilled in some intangible aspects,
reunite annually to hunt the Rocky Mountains, more out of tradition
than anything else. They've grown apart since college, but all make
the effort to see each other in the isolated wilderness in that kind
of bonding experience they just don't get in their private lives.
This trip winds up different to a startling degree as a blizzard
rolls in, and with it comes a threat they didn't expect and are not
prepared for. When one of them is killed, they initially believe they
are up against a grizzly bear, but it becomes quickly evident that
the predator is much more intelligent, cunning, malicious--and it's
not alone.

The story gets right to the action from
the outset, and the perilous situation is palpable, particularly when
the foursome-turned-trio hunkers down in a derelict barn after the
first attack. They have no clue what's outside, because the blizzard
has created whiteout conditions and the howling winds mask any noise,
except for the faint scratching at the door that winds up being a
taunt from whoever (or whatever) is out there. There isn't a whole
lot of time to get to know these men, as the tension doesn't let up,
but there are tidbits of backstory interspersed to give a fair idea
of what drives them, and what hinders them.

There is a bit of a strain of the
credulity of the story, in my opinion regarding the threat they face
and its seemingly innate ability to anticipate their every move. This
is not a paranormal story, but it got to a point that I wondered if
there was some supernatural influence going on. The ending worked
great, tying things up with just enough explanation to avoid pulling
my hair out, but there was one aspect at the very end that was a bit
grating. But overall, Snowblind was a thrill ride, one I'd
recommend to any horror fan wanting to curl up with a book by the
fire this winter.